Search engine optimization techniques are fairly well known at this point, which means that competition for getting the process right is fiercer than ever, especially in industries that involve litigation topics. In other words, legal websites really have to get their SEO right to get their web traffic goals in order.
And if you’re in charge of a legal website, or in charge of the web presence of a lawyer or law firm, that means it’s up to you to really follow the five tips below diligently – use specific web pages for specific topics, really focus on headline writing, set up a path for viewer feedback, don’t slouch with putting out new, valuable content, and use photos and images wisely.
Use Specific Pages for Specific Topics
Many legal websites have generalized pages with a lot of broad topics in a single area. To get better marketing results, use specific pages for specific topics. For instance, have a single page for litigation topics related to automobile accidents. This type of focused information will help not only Google’s web crawlers, but also help people to find just what they are looking for in the small area available on a cellphone screen, for instance.
Make Your Headlines Great
Great headlines serve several SEO and marketing purposes. First, having the right keywords in your headline makes it easy to search for. Second, people will appreciate that you tell them what an article or page is about. However, be sure to avoid any kind of clickbait, especially with legal-based headlines, as you can lose a tremendous amount of trust if people follow a link to an article thinking it’s a certain type of content, and ends up being misleading, or even something totally different. There are even punishments that Google can hand out for this type of behavior. Check out headline writing tutorials for use of active words to get you started.
Maintain an Excellent Feedback Loop
One way to differentiate one legal website from another is by personalizing the experience for the person browsing. If a real person is there to talk to, and is willing to answer questions online, or even take suggestions about how to provide better service to customers and clients, that creates a perfect marketing circle where every part of the browsing experience is improved. Having readily available e-mail addresses, office addresses, and business phone numbers is also good for SEO and marketing, as those numbers can be picked up by Google’s location-based services as well.
Produce Helpful, Consistent Content
Another primary way to maintain good SEO and marketing presence is to regularly update sites with helpful content about changes in local, state, or government laws. Even if this content is simply a short commentary on recent news, or updates about how certain litigation processes are moving forward, that new, relevant content will be picked up automatically through Google’s algorithms.
Use Photos Wisely
Photos are important for marketing and SEO as well, though legal websites may have to be a bit more creative. If people are tired of seeing pictures of general law topics, it may be wise to find a way to include more community-oriented material to showcase pictorially.